Right Turn, Right Idea

A couple of days ago, I saw a news report on how UPS saves time, money and gas by avoiding left turns.

The company knows that left turns take more time and fuel than right turns, due to waiting at stop lights. And time + gas = money. 

According to the report, “UPS trucks drove 2.5 billion miles last year, but the company says its package flow technology combined with right-turn routes saved 28,541,472 million miles, and three million gallons of fuel.”

The UPS story affirms some of my tips for saving time and money on driving trips:

• Plan trips in advance. When you need to run out to the store, think about what else you can do while you’re out.
• Clump destinations by area. Do everything you can in a specific area, then move on to another area. Avoid going back and forth.
• Stick to one side of the street and hit destinations in order from closest to farthest. Look at all those right turns you’d make.
• If you have a choice, choose a destination that’s on the side of the street that you’re already on. For example, if you need a cup of coffee, do you have to go to the Starbucks across the street, or is there another one on your side of the street? Chances are there is!

You can read the full report on UPS at the ABC News website: http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=3005890&page=1